In this Part One Video of my Monster Fish Quest, i managed to land some of the finest RIVER MONSTER FISH like the Hybrid Redtail Tiger Catfish, Alligator Garfish, Redtail Tiger Catfish, Chao Phraya Catfish, Asian Redtail Catfish, Arapaima Gigas, Giant African Catfish and Pacu at IT Monster Lake, Ratchaburi Province, Thailand.

PACU

CHAO PHRAYA CATFISH

HYBRID REDTAIL TIGER CATFISH

REDTAIL TIGER CATFISH

ALLIGATOR GARFISH

ASIAN REDTAIL CATFISH

GIANT AFRICAN CATFISH

RIVER MONSTER – ARAPAIMA GIGAS

ARAPAIMA GIGAS – The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is a South American tropical freshwater fish. It is a living fossil and one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world. Arapaima can reach lengths of more than 2 m (6.6 ft), in some exceptional cases even more than 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and over 100 kg (220 lbs).

The Mekong giant catfish, Pangasianodon gigas, is a species of catfish in the shark catfish family (family Pangasiidae), native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia. Mekong giant catfish is the world’s largest scaleless freshwater fish lives a tenuous existence in the murky brown waters of Southeast Asia’s Mekong River. Capable of reaching an almost mythical 10 feet (3 meters) in length and 650 pounds (295 kilograms), Mekong giant catfish live mainly in the lower half of the Mekong River system, in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

RIVER MONSTER – MEKONG GIANT CATFISH

The moment the storm resided and the rain stopped, we resume fishing…

Most anglers believe that they know all about jigs. But, that’s just not so. Jigging basics may seem simple enough and mastering the fundamental of jigging technique can mean the difference between catching fish and not. Thanks to Edel(Seadel Tuna) our Jigging Sifu from Bintulu for showing us the correct technique to jig at Bintulu waters. He taught us to visualize our jigs. He told us to imagine where our jigs is in the water and what it looks like to the fish we are targeting. He told us jigging at different level will get different fish and true enough, we managed to get different fish at different level.

Mackeral at Horizontal Top Water Jigging…

Trevally at Horizontal Mid Water Jigging…using the Seahawk ‘Big Strike’ Tournament Grade Metal Jigs…

Groupers and Snappers at Horizontal Bottom Level Jigging…

The Seahawk ‘Big Strike’ Tournament Grade Metal Jigs are very effective, esp at Bintulu waters…

This Seahawk ‘Big Strike’ Jig can be bend into a ‘S’ shape like a red eye sardine jig…

Seadel Tuna, our Jigging Master from Bintulu with his golden snapper caught using Horizontal Bottom Jigging style…

Once again, i would like to take this opportunity to thank TCE Sports for sponsoring us some Fins Braided Lines, Chikara Shock Leader Line, Seahawk ‘Big Strike’ Tournament Grade Metal Jigs and some Team Seahawk T Shirt and Caps.

For more pictures, please goto Kurauking Photo Gallery

Anyway, we caught lots of tarpons using poppers, spinners and shallow diver hardbody and soft plastic lures. One of the most enjoyable things about fishing is that, as a fisherman, you are pitting your skills against nature. You might think you’re pretty smart, but a tarpon, siakap and senangin may decide you’re more of a fool. So, if you can win the battle of wits, it makes you feel more alive and satisfied for having tricked a fish into biting.

Popper lures are made of wood or plastic and are designed for casting but can also be trolled. They are used successfully when targeting surface Predatory fish, in this case Bagan Datoh Tarpon and Senangin(Threadfin Salmon)  They should be retrieved very fast, so that they splash on the surface, which makes them irresistible for Tarpons and other surface predators.

Bagan Datoh Tarpon caught on poppers

Bagan Datoh Threadfin Salmon(Senangin) caught on poppers

In Bagan Datoh, fishing with poppers, spinners or hardbody and soft plastic lures are a fine way to catch fish, but fishing with lures requires the ability to make a lures come alive and look real to a fish(or injured fish). This can be a bit more difficult than it seems because the biggest skill required in this type of fishing is patience….lots of patience and endurance. ..:)

Active tails feature a tail on the lure that has a built in action when retrieved. This makes them ideal for anglers because you can simply retrieve the lure and the tail will create an enticing action.  A good trick when fishing with soft plastics is to let the lure swim slowly beside boats, or in the shallows and seabed. To make sure it is swimming correctly and to see how quickly you need to twitch, hop or retrieve the lure to make it look enticing in the water. This is how i caught this 2kg siakap(barramundi) at Bagan Datoh, Perak.

Bagan Datoh Barramundi caught on active tail soft plastic

Fishing at Bagab Datoh Video Clips

For more picture, please goto Kurauking Photo Gallery